


I Need You To Stay (the run and go fic)

by morningdun



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Death, Depression, M/M, Mild Blood, Weapons, tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-08 11:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7755868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morningdun/pseuds/morningdun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler Joseph has always lived a quite privileged life inside the city of Grand Angeles, a place where its inhabitants are given marks that match their soulmates at age 18. He had always been sort of different. Tyler didn't have too many friends and wasn't keen on making them either. When his life has been completely turned upside down, he meets a boy that changes his life for the better. But alas, just as things in 'The Outer' start to become normal (and even enjoyable) for Tyler, the two boys are forced to escape or face the authorities.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, we hope you enjoy and thank you for reading.
> 
> find us on twitter:  
> Miya @fallawayfranta  
> Amanda @spacebundun

It was here. Today was the day. Nerves flowed through my body but I could also feel a tinge of excitement. I pulled the bed sheets off of my form and proceeded to stand from my bed. 

"Good morning Tyler," a calm, slightly robotic female voice beamed from a speaker next to my door. Why was she so peppy all the time?

"Good morning Com," I spoke with sleep still lingering in my voice. "You remember what day it is, yeah?" 

"Of course! Today is Marking Day! Aren't you excited to meet your soulmate?" 

"I guess so..." I paused and rubbed the back of my neck with my hand. "I've heard that there's an anomaly with our group. They said that there might be one person without a match this year." I stared down at my feet. "Com, what if I turn out to be the matchless one." Com responded with lightning speed.

"Tyler I do not know what you're talking about. There has never been a matchless person since the masters have been in power. And this year shall be no different." I found that very hard to believe. Our group had an uneven amount of people and it was painfully clear to see that it would be impossible to perfectly match up an odd number of us. The masters and mentors acted as if we couldn't count. I had to not overthink. I had to stop stressing over this. I would probably be just as normal as everyone else in my group. Perfectly matched with a beautiful woman who loves me as much as I love her. I sure hope I get matched with Jenna. We've been friends since 6 year and I always thought she was pretty. She's really my only friend in my group. We both enjoyed being alone, but together. We didn't need the group to have fun. I really hoped the program matched us together. What if she got put wi-

"Tyler you need to keep on schedule," Com interrupted my thoughts. "Many things have to be on time today." I seem to do that a lot. "Space out" as my mom liked to call it. I get lost in my thoughts very often. But now was not the time to mess around. I had to get ready for the Marking Ceremony. The masters provided us with special clothing for the event. I hadn't seen it until I opened my closet door that morning. I saw a clean white shirt hanging next to a pair of black pants. I wondered what the girls would be wearing. I took both pieces of clothing and put them on. I didn't mind how they looked on me. They weren't something I would normally choose to wear but they weren't terrible. I left my room feeling semi-confident in my looks. I arrived to the first floor of our two story home to find my parents sitting at the table, coffee and news tablets in hand. I walked to the cupboard to find my breakfast. The decision was made to go with a simple cereal. I didn't want to upset my already nervous stomach.

"Good morning Tyler," my dad said not taking his eyes off the news. "I'm sure Com has already reminded you of what day it is"

"Yep..." I had always been intimidated by my father. He was never really a soft guy. Always straight to the point. "You're both coming to the Marking Ceremony today, aren't you?" My father paused from his reading but didn't look at me once again.

"Unfortunately I won't be able to make it," he said as I felt my heart drop into my feet. We had never been really close but this was the most important event of my life. I had expected him to be there. "I've got meetings about new tech for the masters all day." I suddenly felt angry. I couldn't believe he would miss this.

"But Dad! I'm the first of all 4 of us to do this! Zack, Maddie, and Jay all have years to go until they have to!" I became more angry as I spoke. My voice getting louder with every word. "Can't you take a break for once! Can't you come and support your own son for once? For fucks sake doesn't your family ever come first?"

"Tyler! Watch your language!" my mom scolded at me. Her eyes seemed sympathetic but her tone was mad at the way I had just spoke. "And don't you ever speak to your father that way again. EVER." I had had it. I wasn't going to deal with their bullshit anymore. 

"Fine." I left the half poured bowl of cereal and walked to the front door. "Guess I'll see you at the ceremony, mom." The door slammed behind me as I stormed out. The most important event of my life and my own father wouldn't even be attending. Whatever. After today it would be my and my wife's decision if I ever wanted to speak or see them again. I was really only close with my mom and we weren't even that close. My siblings didn't associate with me either. I apparently wasn't up to their standards. I had always been very articulate and mature for my age. I never really had the time to be a kid. With two parents working in the government at almost all hours and three younger siblings to try to care for, I was basically forced to grow up too fast. And after all I've done for my brothers and sister, they still wouldn't give me the time of day. All of these thoughts festered in my head as I angrily walked to the school where the Marking Ceremony would take place and where I had attended for 13 years of my life. I would be there a little early but I didn't care. Anything to get out of the house away from them. My walking continued while my head was still swarming with angry thoughts.

• • • 

As I approached the school a calming feeling of familiarity washed over me. I had spent countless hours in this building, some of which being the most boring hours of my life, but I had many fond memories of my days there. It suddenly hit me that this would be my last time stepping foot in this school, until my children at least which I wasn't planning on for quite a few years. This made me feel even more anxious. Thoughts started flowing back to me, reminding me that I could possibly be matchless and have no children whatsoever. I just had to rid myself of those and stop letting my thoughts take over me. I walked through the sleek glass doors and was greeted by the sight of my peers. Everyone was beaming. Excitement was buzzing through the air like a lightning storm. Smiles were across everyone's faces, except mine. I realized that this could come across wrong and plastered a big smile on my face, trying not to let on that I was still swimming in sad thoughts. I realized that I had actually ended up on time as everyone from my group was already here. Or maybe everyone just came early, not wanting to wait any longer to meet their soulmate. Either way it looked like the ceremony would be starting soon. I walked over to the group of students directly in front of me, scanning the crowd for Jenna. It was actually kind of difficult considering everyone was dressed the same. I suddenly spotted her across the room, looking almost as nervous as I was. The plain blue dress she was wearing looked very flattering on her. She seemed to be scanning the crowd for me as well. I proceeded towards her and she locked eyes with me. The moment she saw me her eyes lit up and a smile came across her face. 

"Hey Tyler!" She beamed. 

"Hi Jenna." 

"You seem really nervous Ty, are you ok?" She got a sympathetic look on her face.

"I could say the same to you," She furrowed her eyebrows. "I could see your nervousness from across the room." She blushed.

"Is it really that obvious?" She asked looking down at her feet. "I mean, I don't see how everyone else isn't nervous. Or at least not showing it." She looked back up at me. "I'm sure they've all heard about our uneven numbers." She must've been having the same worries I was. 

"Jenna you're going to be fine." I reassured her, putting my hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure both of us are going to be matched." That was a bit of a lie. I was still worried out of my mind that I was going to be the odd man out. I wasn't sure of anything. But I had to make her feel safe, she was my only friend. 

"Thanks for that Ty." A soft smile formed on her lips. 

"Attention!" A loud voice boomed from the other side of the room causing everyone to jerk their head in that direction. One of our many mentors was standing directly in front of the doors to the auditorium. She was a short, tan woman with lots of freckles and her black hair was in a ponytail. She had always been one of my favorites. She had been our mentor since 12 year. The "teen" mentor. "The Marking Ceremony is going to begin very shortly. I would like you all to line up in birthday order. Oldest in the front, youngest in the back." Shit. This meant that Jenna would be in the front and I would be in the back. I didn't really want to leave her right now. We were both nervous wrecks and could probably use the comfort of our only friend at this moment.

"Well I guess I'll talk to you after the marking then." Jenna said, nervousness in her voice. "We'll both have soulmates the next time we talk. That's so weird." She let out a small chuckle and I couldn't help but laugh with her. She then walked towards the front of the line that was forming in front of the auditorium doors. I walked to the back of the line. I knew I was the youngest. The only December birthday of a group of 43. We were all born in a 6 month span. The masters planned everything like that. I was the last to turn 18, which was the sole factor of when our Marking Ceremony was. The whole group had to be 18 before the ceremony could take place. Suddenly the line shifted. We were being ushered into the room to the first few rows of seats. When I finally reached the door and could see into the room I saw the stage. Upon it was a small table with a strange metal contraption in the middle. I assumed this was what they were going to use to give us our markings. I followed the line until we reached our seats. As I walked I scanned the parents sitting in the rest of the seats looking for my mom. I saw her along with Maddie and Jay a couple rows from the very back. Of course Zack didn't come. He was "too cool" to be seen supporting me. I sat down in the last seat of the second row. The kid next to me, Wyatt was his name, kept shaking his leg and it was really annoying me. It must've been his nervous tick or something. I mean I couldn't blame him for being nervous but geez that was obnoxious. Right when I was about to ask him if he could knock it off a voice sounded from the stage. The mentor who had assembled our line earlier was standing at a podium off to the side of the stage. I must not have noticed it earlier. 

"Good morning everyone! Welcome to the annual Marking Ceremony!" She was overly excited as far as I could tell. "These teens have spent the last 13 years together, creating friendships and learning about their society while all the time shaping up to become the next generation to lead our country! And today we are providing them with a companion to spend the rest of their lives with along their continuous journey to lead. As you all know, the master matching system has been monitoring and calculating the perfect soulmate for each one of these teens since they first started attending this school. Today we will be giving each teen a mark, tattoo if you will, that will match one of their peers. Those who match are soulmates, chosen by the master matching system. The mark is solely to commemorate their true love for each other and as a record that they are in fact soulmates." She looked down at a paper on the podium, reading what she would have to say next. "We will have the teens come up in birthday order, oldest first." I looked across the row and saw Jenna shift in her seat. She was the third oldest of our group. "The first up to be marked is Trevor Randall." A lanky boy with short hair smiled, stood, and walked up to the stage. The mentor directed him to the table with the strange metal contraption. My guesses were correct, this was what was going to give us our marks. "Trevor will place his arm under the marking device and it will give him his unique mark." He seemed unfazed by anything that was happening. He walked to the tall table and placed his wrist directly under the device. A small needle like object came down to his wrist and started drawing a simple line picture. He didn't seem  to be in much pain. The needle moved fast and the mark was complete in a matter of seconds. When it was finished he pulled his arm out and held it up for all to see. He had the mark of waves on his wrist. Everyone applauded him. He kept that too happy smile across his face as he stepped off of the stage and returned to his seat. A girl went up after him, Bridgette, she had the mark of a crescent moon. Next was Jenna. She stumbled a bit as she walked up the steps. Her face was anything but happy. She walked to the table, took a deep breath, and then placed her wrist beneath the needle. She winced when it first touched her skin but soon realized that it didn't hurt. When it finished she carefully pulled her wrist out and kept it to herself. It wasn't obligatory to show your mark to everyone. Some liked to keep it a secret so it took a little more effort to find their match. I watched as everyone got their mark. Majority kept their mark to themselves. Wyatt went up and my nervousness was through the roof. I would be up very soon. He walked up there without showing a shred of the nervous person I had seen less than an hour before. He looked careless, like he didn't really care to be there. He also kept his mark to himself. He walked back down the stage and sat down next to me. I caught a glimpse of his mark. A simple raindrop. 

"Tyler Joseph." The mentor beamed. She had kept the same over eager smile on her face the entire ceremony. I was kind of getting sick of it. I walked up the stage and tried my best to make myself seem excited and not nervous. I slipped my wrist under the cool metal. It was cold to the touch. The needle slowing moved down to my wrist and I flinched when it made contact. I had expected some kind of pain but it was painless. I could feel the needle moving but it didn't hurt. It was over in a matter of 10 seconds. The needle lifted up and revealed my mark. It was kind of hard to explain. Everyone else's was just like a simple shape, or something from nature. Mine was like a rectangle, but with only three sides, one of the long sides missing. An 'X' connected the corners. I couldn't figure out what it was meant to be. I walked off stage with a slight look of confusion. As I sat back into my seat, the mentor closed the ceremony.

"Thank you all for coming today and supporting your children on this journey of life! We kindly ask all parents and siblings to proceed to the banquet down the street. We will have mentors escort you to the correct address. For now the teens will spend some time finding their match. They will meet you there shortly." She smiled one last time and stepped down from the podium and off the stage. The families poured out of the doors and we followed behind. They made sure we stayed in the school though. Now was the time to start looking for a matching wrist. Some had already found their match, as they had both shared their mark with the audience. I hurriedly scanned everyone for Jenna, hoping with all my might that she had the same strange mark as mine. I spotted her blonde hair quickly this time. I pushed my way through the crowd and approached her with my wrist out.

"Jenna what's your mark?" I was worried now. Some of the matches had already started leaving to head to the banquet. Jenna looked down at my wrist and got an upset look on her face. She slowly raised her arm up to mine. A raindrop. I quickly recognized the mark. The annoying leg shaker next to me during the ceremony. Wyatt. This sucked. Now I was totally freaking out inside. "Oh..." 

"I'm so sorry Tyler. I really thought we would be matched." 

"Don't be sorry. You don't have control over what the system does." I put my hand on her shoulder like I did earlier. Geez is that the only form of comforting I know? "But I do know who you're matched with." Her face lit up. 

"Oh my gosh. Who is it?" She looked so excited.

"It's Wyatt Abrahamian." She blushed a little. I had noticed before that she had expressed the slightest bit of fondness towards him. I was happy for her. If anyone deserved a match, it was her. 

"Thank you Tyler. I hope you find your match soon!" She gave me a big hug and then scurried off to find Wyatt. About half of my group was still here. I had to find my match quick. I looked through everyone trying to find a girl that wasn't paired up yet. I noticed a girl named Michelle standing alone. Maybe this was the one. I smiled as I walked up to her casually. 

"Hey Michelle!" I tried to say without sounding too enthusiastic. She immediately put her wrist out to me. A lightbulb. "Oh sorry. We don't match." Well that was a short, awkward encounter.

"It's fine. If you find someone with the same mark send them to me." She smiled, clearly seeing how uncomfortable I was. 

"Noo problem." I walked away pretending that never happened. Almost all of my group had left by now. This was getting really nerve wracking. I started making up scenarios of where she could be. Maybe she left? Maybe she didn't hear the instructions correctly and went to the banquet first? The last few kids found their match and I was left alone  standing in the lobby of my school. I couldn't decide if I should look for the nonexistent girl at the banquet, or to accept the fact that I was indeed, matchless. This really sucked. I kind of knew all along that something like this would happen. I had been telling myself for years that something would go wrong, something would get messed up. I was never like all the other kids. I wasn't a social butterfly. And now I would be spending the rest of my life, alone. I could feel tears starting to form in my eyes. This was so unlike me. I always tried to keep a "I couldn't care less" façade but I actually didn't care at this point. I let the tears roll down my cheeks making no attempt to stop them. I went and sat on a bench close to me. As the tears kept coming I wondered what would happen now. I had never known someone who was matchless. Only heard rumors in passing. As if on queue, two large men barged through the doors of the auditorium. They saw me immediately. 

"Tyler Joseph?" The taller one asked. He seemed to have no emotions whatsoever.

"Yep.." I quickly wiped my tears suddenly aware of how stupid I probably looked. The shorter, wider man went to speak but I cut him off. "You don't need to tell me. I already figured out that I'm matchless." The man closed his mouth, no longer having the need to speak. "I just have a couple questions."

"We'll explain everything on the way to your new housing." The taller one spoke again. New housing? Where the fuck was I going? "Just follow us to the car." He paused briefly.  "All of your belongings are already in it." They started walking towards the back of the school. I followed, trying to keep up with their lengthy strides. Once we got into the vehicle the driver started driving in a direction I had never ventured towards before. Something about this was super sketchy. 

"Could you explain to me what's going on now?" I asked, a bit of annoyance in my voice. I was already upset and now all of this uncertainty was making me annoyed. The shorter one spoke.

"Well as you already know, you're matchless. The system had no matches for you. The uneven numbers contributed to it mostly. This rarely happens." He didn't seem to have emotions either. "We will be taking you to a smaller city outside of Grand Angeles where you will be living and working with another matchless."

"What did you tell my parents?" The sudden realization that being matchless was basically taboo hit me. My parents would be so confused as to where I was. "Will I ever get to speak to them again?" 

"As the masters do not want the existence of matchless peoples to be known to the public, we have told them that you've been recruited for a mission by the masters and won't be seeing or speaking with them for a very long time." This was fucked up. My life was basically being erased. I would just be a memory. Nothing but a memory to them. 

"Oh.. alright then." I then looked at my feet the rest of the drive, not wanting to talk to the emotionless men any longer. The ride was exhaustive. The ceremony ended at 12:30. I didn't even have the chance to eat lunch. As we all drove in silence I asked the most simple question.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost 3 pm."

"Alright, thanks." How had I been in this car for almost 3 hours? How far away was this city? We drove for another ten minutes and the appearance of a run down city came into view. It looked old and dirty. This would be my home for the rest of eternity. Great. The car drove down some narrow streets for a bit and then stopped in front of a short apartment like building. This must be my house. 

"Here's your items." The short man handed me a small black duffel bag apparently filled with my stuff. I had hoped they grabbed most everything. The two men got out of the car and I assumed this was my signal to get out as well. I stepped out into a gravel road with dust flying as I stepped. 

"You're in apartment 27B. Second floor." He handed me an old key that looked like it was decades old. "Good luck." Both quickly got into the car and drove off. I stood in front of this short, stout building still in a slight bit of shock over what had just happened. This was all so overwhelming. I needed to get inside though. The spring sun was hotter than usual and I didn't need to meet this roommate looking all sweaty. I walked into the front room of the building and was greeted by a dingy couch, a cracked desk, and a door labeled, "STAIRS". There was no one in sight. Surprisingly. I walked up the two flights of stairs getting even more sweaty. The numbers passed me quickly as I  strode down the hallway, breathing heavy. Finally I reached 27B. I decided to knock in case the roommate was home. Where was all this new found confidence coming from? I would never knock usually. I guess I was now in survival mode. My usual doubting thoughts flooded back to me as I rose my hand to knock. I ended up tapping the door very softly. Hopefully if someone was in there they actually heard me. They must've been waiting for me because not more than 5 seconds of waiting, I heard a lot of crashing from inside. The door swung open and I was hit. Not by the door of course but by his bright choices. This guy had bright red hair and a sleeve of tattoos. It looked like a tree, it was beautiful. Then my observing eyes wandered to his. Chestnut brown with flecks of green and gold. They were stunning. We made eye contact for a couple seconds and then I felt like I was about to suffocate. I had been holding my breath this whole time.

"Hey." I spoke as I let out all the breath I had been holding in. He stepped out of the doorway into his apartment and gestured for me to come in. This was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

I jolted awake as I heard the loud banging coming from my front door. The disrupting noise flooded my tiny apartment and sent my body flying out of bed and in another direction to throw on my shirt before I had to face who was ever behind the commotion. "I'm coming, hold on." I groggily yelled, fighting to keep my eyes open on the way to the door. Once there, I peeked through the eyehole to see my landlord, Gary, fist still pounding on my door, seemingly staring at me. 

"Josh!" He exclaimed when I opened the door.

"Gary what the hell are you doing here, I already payed rent a few days ago-" my raspy voice faded as he shoved a piece of paper into my hands.

"You've got a new guy coming in from the marking today, sound familiar?" He waited for a response, smirking, knowing full well of my history with my mark. My left hand instinctively grabbed my wrapped wrist, running up and down the rough surface of tape. I sighed and glanced down at the paper, a basic roommate notice, nothing I wasn't used to. 

"Come on Gary, I just got my apartment to myself and now I have to share it again?" 

He cocked an eyebrow at me and grunted, "You might want to clean the place up, looks like he'll be staying and working with you for a while."

"They always come and go."

"Whatever, just be ready for him when he arrives at 3." He paused. "And don't drive him off like the last one." 

"Fuck off, Debby was a problem and you know it." 

"Remember, 3 o'clock." He finished as he started walking away from the conversation, leaving me standing in the doorway.

"Wait that's in like 2 hours!" I yelled down the hallway to no reply. I groaned and banged my head against the wall.

I've always hated roommates. They are messy, nosey, and entitled (three things that absolutely drive me insane) and I was sure this next one would be the same. And it doesn't help that I don't even have enough room for me in this little apartment, let alone another human being. I tried to think of ways to combat the intrusion of my home, but most of the solutions ended in me throwing myself out the window, which still wouldn't work because I am far too big to get my fat ass through the opening. 

Realizing I was still in the doorway, I quickly shut the door and attempted to make some food for breakfast, tossing the paper Gary gave me in the trash. I quickly noticed that my food supply was running dangerously low, and the only thing I could find was a hot dog to eat. I shrugged and ate it, it was nearly noon, so the meal was basically lunch anyway. 

Since I've already been through the roommate drill before, I knew I needed to pick up some things before the new guy arrived. Food, for one thing, was my biggest concern, but also toiletries, clothes, and other household items were needed. Before I left I took a quick shower, re-wrapped my marked wrist, and made an effort to clean up the living room. I went through all 4 rooms in the flat making sure they were ready for another inhabitant. 

The living room was usually always clean so there was nothing to worry about there, and the kitchen was also acceptable (there were only a few dishes lying around.) I looked earnestly into the other room, I try to go in there as little as possible. The memories rushed back to me and simmered in the pit of my stomach. 

The last room I knew I had to fix was the guest bedroom, or I guess this guy's new room now. There wasn't much in here left over from Debby, just the usual stuff like a bed and blankets (that she never really used anyway, she basically lived in my room) and a dresser, random camping equipment, and four empty white walls- but the thing I came in here for was my drum kit. My room was never big enough to house it but I guess it'll have to do for now, so, piece by piece, I transported my set to my room. The transformation was complete. 

I left the apartment in a hurry, I had a lot of stuff to get done today before he arrived. With my hair still damp, I rushed out to the local grocery while simultaneously mentally preparing myself for the burden of dealing with another reject. 

On the way to my car all I could think about was what this new guy was doing right now. It was 1:15, so the ceremony should be over by now and he is learning he is matchless. I didn't even know his name, and yet I somehow could tell he's not handing this well... no one does. The system is ruthless, they leave you with the rest of your class until everyone is paired up and then they take you away.

I walked around the ballroom, looking for anyone who wasn't already paired up. I was on the verge of a full out panic attack, seeing all my classmates together in pairs- some obvious couples and other's awkward beginnings. In the corner of my eye I spotted two security guards who erupted from the front doors, they waved me over.

"Hey kid what's your name? We're looking for someone." 

"Uh Joshua Dun, but I'm still looking for my match so I don't think you'll want me." I chuckled nervously, grabbing hold of my newly tattooed wrist.

"Dun?" The security guards looked over to each other and sighed, "You're actually going to have to come with us." 

•••

After driving to and from the store and getting all the shit I needed I realized it was already 2:45. I felt weird, and oddly... excited? I knew nothing about this person who was coming to stay with me indefinitely, and for some reason I actually wanted to meet him. I watched the clock intently. 

2:50 came and passed and my heart rate began to climb. Why was I acting like this?

Then 2:55, and I started to pace around my room, dodging the drumming accessories and pile of dirty clothes. My mind was more cluttered than my room. 

There was a faint knock and I was basically flying to the front door, knocking over a snare in the process. Through the peephole I spotted him, and boy was I devastated. He was stunning. He was slightly taller than me, and lankier, but there was something so good about him. Maybe it was the wild brown eyes, or maybe just his flushed face, but I knew he wasn't like anyone else I had ever met. I took a deep breath and opened the door, trying to act as collected and distant as possible (that is my specialty after all.) We made eye contact for a solid 5 seconds, those chocolate eyes had a hold on me, before the boy gave a breathy, "Hey." and I invited him and his little black duffel bag inside. This was going to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

The boy walked in my- I mean our- apartment skittishly, looking around at his new surroundings with absolute distrust. 

"Here let me take that," I motioned to his bag and he instinctively grasped it's handles tighter, he did not want to let this thing go. "Or not," I chuckled nervously, this kid was tense and understandably so, "your room is down the hall to the right if you'd like to drop it off yourself instead?" He nodded and slowly made his way down the hall, scanning the blank walls.

I went into the kitchen to make myself some coffee, I could already tell I'd need more energy for the day. The guy wandered back into the living room and I could see him looking around uncomfortably, "would you like anything to drink? I'm making coffee right now." I asked him from across the house, for some reason I felt the urge to comfort this person.

"Do you have any tea?" He said shakily, he seemed to still be very nervous, I didn't blame him. 

"Let me see," I rummaged through a cupboard, "you're in luck I've got chamomile and green, pick your poison." I didn't have the heart to tell him this tea was probably way past the expiration date. 

I think he tried to laugh but it sounded more like a nervous exhale, "green please." 

"Coming right up." I used the hot water from my coffee pot and poured it on top of the tea bag. When my coffee had finished brewing (which was an embarrassingly large chunk of time we spent silent) I took both our cups over to the living room. 

"You know you can sit down, right?" I motioned to the minimal seating options. 

"Oh." He quickly perched down on the closet chair, which turned out to be the couch. 

"So... uh what's your name?" I wearily asked my new roommate, who was sitting on the edge of the couch, knees pushed together, looking semi terrified. I sat across from him, handing him his tea. 

"Uh, T-Tyler. Tyler Joseph." He stuttered. He held the cup close to his chest, it almost looked like he wanted the tea more for its warmth rather than to drink it.

"Nice to meet you, Tyler. I'm Josh." I held out a hand quickly and he jumped back. Did he think I was going to hit him or something? He was hesitant but eventually Tyler shook it softly. 

"So um you're matchless too then?" His voice was soft. Who was I kidding everything about him was soft.

"Yeah, but you might want to be careful going around saying that to people here, some are still a little..." I paused looking him over once again, Tyler was fidgeting with his wrist, "bitter." 

"Well, what am I supposed to do with this now?" He held up his tattooed wrist and I shut my eyes tight before I could see anything. 

"Would you put that fucking thing away?" I screeched, "dude you don't just go around showing people that." 

Even though my eyes were squeezed shut, I could just tell those chocolate eyes of his were in a disarray, trying to figure out what he had done wrong. I turned away and opened my eyes, and quickly made my way to the bathroom, where I picked up an extra roll of wrap. 

"We cover that shit up." I tossed the roll to him from across the room. 

"Why?" He questioned after he finished taping, examining his shoddy workmanship.

"Many reasons. Mostly because it's fucking embarrassing. All of us here have no one. Just think about that. Also, it's a private thing, something only meant for the eyes of two people."

"Oh," he got quieter, "I just thought..." he paused, tried to speak, and paused again.

"It's fine, it's just something we don't do here in the outer." I tried to back peddle, I didn't want to seem like a dick. 

"The outer?" His eyebrows furrowed together, trying to understand what I just said.

"This place, it's called the outer... the dumping grounds for all the people who haven't found their matches yet-" I didn't realize how much stuff he wouldn't be filled in from the trip over here. 

"Wait," Tyler hesitantly stopped me, "yet?"

"Didn't they teach you anything?" I huffed, I didn't expect this conversation to become a q&a segment. Tyler stayed silent not knowing how to answer to my outburst. Clenching my jaw I answered, "okay, well, there have been cases of people from different years, sometimes even generations, finding their match here instead of in school," His face seemed to light up, "but don't get too excited now it's extremely rare, maybe even an urban legend if you will." 

"Oh," Tyler's face went back to its original state of sadness. 

There was an awkward moment of silence, the only noise was Tyler who was sipping his tea rather loudly. 

"But anyway," this was my attempt to get to any other topic, something much less depressing, "Are you hungry?" 

"Holy shit yeah," Tyler pressed his hand to his stomach, "I've been hungry since this morning. I didn't eat breakfast."

Taken aback by his sudden change in attitude, I smiled. "That's the spirit," I got up and grabbed my keys and a hat from a hanger near the front door, "Let's go out to eat somewhere, explore the city or whatever." 

"Cool." He simply said, quickly going into his bedroom and grabbing a sweatshirt. 

We walked out of the apartment together, down the hall, through the lobby, and onto the street without a word. I could already tell this Tyler guy was more of a watcher than a talker, as his eyes wandered around the changing settings around us. 

The streets seemed emptier than usual, especially for a Saturday afternoon. The only noise on the road other than the occasional vehicle was the coo from the pigeons. I was still slightly concerned about Tyler, who wasn't breathing too loudly, just very shakily and uneven. I wanted to pat him on the shoulder or something, but I didn't want him to think I was going to hit him again. Being someone who didn't like the silence, I wanted to keep some form of communication going, but I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't circle back to matchlessness. 

For some reason I couldn't stop thinking about Tyler, I wanted to know so much. Where he came from? What kind of person he was? What kind of music does he listen to? 

"What kind of food do you want?" I asked as casually as I could.

"Anything. I'm starving." He said, a bit too enthusiastically for his character. 

"There's a really good burger place down the street from here?"

"Sounds good to me."

We continued until we got to the restaurant. The large sign over top the building read: Big Daddy's Bar and Grill. Tyler didn't seem too pleased with the sign as he scowled at it.

"What kind of name is that?" I could tell he was trying to be funny, but there was an underlying judgmental tone in his voice. 

"What, not fancy enough for you?" I cocked an eyebrow at him and laughed, "This is about as nice as it gets around here." 

When we got inside, I was greeted from a person from my past. My throat dropped down to the floor when I saw her. Those huge brown eyes. Cherry red lips. Her hair no longer a subtle shade of strawberry blonde. Debby. My mind was going a mile and minute, I came here all the time and I haven't seen her once, I actually hadn't seen her at all since the split. She must be new. 

"Fuck." I whispered under my breath, just enough for Tyler to hear me. 

"What?" He looked over to me but no answer.

"Hello welcome to Big Daddy's," Debby started as we walked in the door but then she paused, "Josh? Oh my god, It's been forever!" She walked over to us from behind the counter and pulled me into a one sided hug. I was still in shock, "how have you been?"

"Your hair!" was the only thing I could get out, gesturing to her white locks. 

She laughed nervously, "yeah, I needed a change. I guess I got the inspiration from you!" 

I joined her in the nervous laugh. My over whelming hatred for this person had disappeared for a few seconds, but it had just returned in full force. I clenched my jaw and I watched her happy facial expression melt away. 

"So..." She paused looking at Tyler and then back at me. 

"This is Tyler, uh, my new roommate." I said. 

"Oh how... nice," She gave him the fakest smile known to man and she returned back to behind the counter just as another woman came out to greet us, "this is Ann, she'll be your waitress for today."

My body flooded with relief. Any more time with Debby and I would have stuck my head in a microwave. Throughout this entire moment Tyler had no idea what the fuck was going on, and I wasn't going to explain it to him in the middle of her workplace. 

We followed Ann to a little booth at the farthest end of the building, "What can I get for you two gentlemen to drink?" She asked when we sat down. 

"I'll have a water." I smiled, or at least tried to, all I could think about was what just happened. 

"Lemonade, thanks." Tyler answered with a genuine smile, the first I'd actually seem from him. When the waitress finished writing down our requests and walked away he looked to me and asked, "What the hell was that?" 

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" I had no intentions to talk about it again, but the statement did it's justice. To try and diverge his attention I picked up a menu and he followed suit. 

"What do you recommend?" He seemed lost over all the choices the menu offered. 

"I really like the classic, that's what I'm getting." I said, shutting the menu promptly. 

"Okay cool, it better be good." He actually kind of laughed, nothing shaky or forced. 

When Ann returned we gave her our order and waited for our food to be served. Conversation was limited, a lot of food talk. I didn't want to ask him anything personal because of everything he has been through today. Tomorrow, I thought to myself. 

•••

I showed Tyler around his new city and he seemed genuinely interested in much of it. Because of the day he has had, I tried to keep the conversation as minimal and light as possible. 

After leaving Big Daddy's, I brought him around to the down town section of the outer, the music store and the art museum caught his attention the most. He basically dragged me to the music store upon sight, "Josh we have to go, I haven't been to an actual ((music store)) in like 2 years!" 

"Do you even play any instruments?" I laughed as we neared the shop, he seemed way too eager to get in there. 

"I used to play the keyboard but my parents took it away from me when-" he stopped when we got to the front windows of the store and gasped. 

"When..?" I tried to get him talking again, but he was already inside the doors, playing the display piano enthusiastically. The piano didn't have a 'do not touch' sign or anything, but I got the vibe it wasn't meant to be played, "Hey, Tyler, you probably shouldn't be doing that..." I started, but trailed off when I heard him play surprisingly well. I didn't recognize the song, it seemed original the way he just knew it. 

Tyler smiled and stopped playing, shooting a grin back at me, "it's been a while since I've been able to play that." 

He went from instrument to instrument, touching each in some way, even if he didn't know how to play. It was quite endearing, seeing him bop around around the store. I sighed and smiled, it was refreshing to see this guy happy. For the few hours I've known him he looked like he was in shock but he's warmed up now.

Tyler lingered around the drum kit display and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I wanted so badly to go over there and just impress him but something held me back. There was something so magnetic about him and that kit together, and I didn't want to ruin that. I smiled to myself, watching him inspect each individual drum piece. I wondered if he knew how to play, and if he didn't, would he let me teach him. 

"I'm sorry for leaving you gentleman out here alone," an old woman came out from behind a storage room and looked over the two of us, "can I help you with anything?" She smiled. 

"Oh no we're just looking," I nervously smiled through my teeth, that was code for "I have no money and my friend here has been touching all of your equipment but please don't kick us out". Luckily she nodded and escaped back into the storage room. 

"Hey we should probably go," I looked to Tyler who had started to pick up a trumpet groaning, "We can one back another day okay, but there's a lot left to see and-" I left like a mother talking to her son. 

"Okay let's go." He whined but swiftly put down the trumpet and walked outside. I shrugged, that was too easy. 

Next we made our way to the art museum. Since the outer wasn't much of an artsy place, it was more of a gallery than a museum, but it was something. Tyler was instantly attracted to the bigger pieces, showing landscape scenes of the ocean and the forest. He went through every collection in the museum much faster than I usually do, but then again I could stay in here for hours. 

He suddenly stopped and looked over a piece I didn't recognize, it must have been a new exhibition. It was a huge painting consisting of thousands of golden flowers, each individually painted with such detail. I could see the reflection of the picture in his eyes, the bright yellow overshadowing his brown, eyelashes fluttering to capture the whole picture. He wore his resting face with upturned lips, and somehow he looked better than the art in front of us. In fact, in this moment I'd even go as far to say he looked like art himself.

A smile crawled onto my face and he looked at me, "I think this one is my favorite."

"Yeah," I paused and looked at my feet, "Mine too."

•••

For the rest of the afternoon we just wandered around with no real intention of anything. We fed ducks at the pond and even sat in the grass for a while. Unusually, the grass wasn't soft and prickled us as we sat on the hill, making me wish I had brought a blanket.

"Is everyday like this?" Tyler asked me looking up at the sky. 

I laughed, I wish, "Well, we work during the weekdays, but weekends are usually nice." 

"Oh, work." He sighed. 

"Don't worry it's easy, just boring as fuck. I'll train you don't worry about it. Just enjoy now." 

My mind went back to Debby and my heart hurt. She looked so different. So... together. I don't love her anymore, but I sure still missed her. Maybe I just missed someone living with me? Maybe Tyler would make things better. I decided not to dwell on it, over thinking things never helped me before. 

•••

When we got back home it was nearly 8pm, and Tyler basically tackled the couch. He was exhausted. 

"Hey, Josh?" He muffled, his face was currently buried into the cushion. 

"Yes Ty?" 

It took him a minute to answer, I assume he was fighting back the drowsiness, "Tell me about that Debby chick from Big Daddy's." I heard him chuckle to himself.

"Oh dear god, can't we do this in the morning?" I tried to reason, I knew he'd forget it by then. 

"No you said tonight and look at that it's tonight." 

"Okay whatever." I plopped next to him on the couch, and he sat up and repositioned himself a little too close. I didn't mind it at all, "Debby and I, we used to be roommates. The end." 

"Dude, there's so much more what is it?" He smirked at me. I have come to the conclusion I hate tired Tyler, he is way too pushy.

"We may have been romantically involved for a minute but that-" 

"She wanted to see your mark didn't she?" The interruption hung in the air. He was right, but I didn't want admit it to him. 

"Uh, she actually did end up seeing my mark. And, well, she left me when she realized we weren't." I sighed. Tyler placed his head on my shoulder lightly, he must have been truly exhausted. 

"She told me that it didn't matter at first. She she said that she didn't care we weren't soul mates, but then all the fighting happened. Constantly. She just stopped trying." I paused for quite a while, sighing, I didn't want to start crying in front of this guy about a girl, "Maybe that's why everyone here covers their wrist. Because once someone you're with finds out you're not perfect for them, they give up. I don't think anyone really mentions this but it gives us some kind of," I hovered over the word for a few seconds, looking down at my palms, "hope."

I looked over at Tyler for some form of understanding, but he was fast asleep. I had no clue how much of my little speech he had heard, all I knew that in this moment I didn't want to move, not even drum. 

He was an ugly sleeper with his mouth open, head back, snoring softly, but there was also something... cute about it. I stayed awake for a while just watching him until I also slowly drifted to sleep.


End file.
